Overhead duct and pipe support

ABSTRACT

An upright stand is provided for use between vertically spaced downwardly and upwardly facing upper and lower surfaces with the lower end of the stand supported from the lower surface and the upper end of the stand spaced beneath the upper surface. The upper end of the stand includes an upwardly extendable abutment for engagement with the upper surface beneath which the stand is disposed and a generally horizontal outwardly projecting support arm is carried by the upper portion of the stand and supported for guided vertical shifting relative thereto. A motor is operatively connected between the stand and the support arm for raising and lowering the latter relative to the stand.

nited States Patent Warax 1 Feb. 4, 1975 OVERHEAD DUCT AND PIPE SUPPORTPrimary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr.

. Assistant ExaminerMark S. Bicks [76] lnventor' 3 5x523 gfgsg BOXAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Clarence A. OBrien;

- Harvey B. Jacobson [22] Filed: Oct. 17, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 407,20257 ABSTRACT An upright stand is provided for use between verti- UeS- J,ally paced downwardly and upwardly facing upper 269/60, 269/95, 269/289and lower surfaces with the lower end of the stand I I e n I 6 6 e 6 6 66 e I I 6 I 1 6 e 4 e 6 6 Field of Search 29/200 J, 200 P; 214/1 SW; ofthe stand spaced beneath the upper surface. The 269/11, 16, 17, 60, 289upper end of the stand includes an upwardly extendable abutment forengagement with the upper surface References Cited beneath which thestand is disposed and a generally UNITED STATES PATENTS horizontaloutwardly projecting support arm is carried 1,054,246 2/1913 Stauffer269/16 by the upper Portion of the Stand and Supported for 1,432,725 0922 Melting 2 9 11 guided vertical shifting relative thereto. A motor isop- 1,576,521 3/1926 Laser 269/95 eratively connected between the standand the support 2,177,22 10/1939 Murphy 269/11 arm for raising andlowering the latter relative to the 2,737,709 3/1956 Lovelace 269/60Stand 2,814,099 11/1957 Knittel 269/17 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 00I08 ID OVERHEAD DUCT AND PIPE SUPPORT The overhead duct and pipe supportof the instant invention has been designed to save labor and simplifythe installation of overhead ducts, pipes and various other materials.When pipes or ducts are placed on the vertically shiftable support armportion of the support the duct or pipe can be raised or lowered to thedesired elevation and held in place until it can be permanently securedto adjacent joists or ceiling constructions. The lower portion of thesupport is provided with support casters whereby the support may bereadily rolled from one location to another and one side portion of thesupport is provided with structure for conveniently releasablysupporting various tools and materials which are used when installingoverhead pipes or ducts.

Although the support of the instant invention is limited as to itsmaximum vertical extent, if the support is to be used between a floorsurface and a very high ceiling structure, the support of the instantinvention may be mounted on a rollaway scaffold in order that thesupport may be positioned adjacent the high ceiling structure.

The support is constructed in a manner such that a single person mayvery easily load and unload the support on a vehicle for transportationand the support is constructed in a manner such that the tools which maybe needed by a person hanging overhead pipes or ducts may be supportedin position for ready use.

The main object of this invention is to provide an upright supportstructure including a vertically shiftable horizontally outwardlyprojecting support arm whereby overhead ducts and pipes may be supportedin the desired elevation before being secured in position.

Another object of this invention is to provide the support structurewith an upwardly extendable abutment member for abuttingly engaging aceiling structure or joist to thereby anchor the support between theceiling structure or joist and an upwardly facing lower support surfacefrom which the lower end of the stand is supported.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a support inaccordance with the preceding objects and including reversible motordrive structure for raising and lowering the support arm relative to thesupport.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein isto provide an overhead duct and pipe support which will conform toconventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy touse so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, longlasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

FIG. I is a perspective view of the support of the instant inventiondisposed between a ceiling structure and a flooring structure spacedtherebelow and with the vertically shiftable support arm of the supportstand in position supporting one end of a horizontal duct;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the assemblage illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 33 of FIG. 2;and

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the planeindicated by the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the overhead duct andpipe support of the instant invention is referred to in general by thereference numeral 10. The support 10 includes an upright stand 12 havingfour parallel vertical corner legs 16 interconnected adjacent theirlower ends by cross bracing 18 and interconnected at their upper ends bymeans of a horizontal tray 20 to which the upper ends of the corner legs16 are secured. The lower ends of the legs 16 are provided with casterwheel assemblies 22 and the inner sides of the legs 16 include parallelvertical guide rods 24 between which a clamp structure 28 is supportedfor vertical movement. The clamp structure 28 includes slide followers30 slidingly engaged with the guide rods 24 and the clamp structure 28is clamped about the housing of a reversible electric motor 32 includinga spring reel supported extension cord 36 extending from a junction box38 carried by the center of the cross bracing 18 and having a source 40of electrical potential connected thereto.

One side of the tray 20 has a push button control assembly 42 supportedtherefrom including upper and lower buttons 44 and 46. The controlassembly is connected to the junction box 38 by means of a conductorcable 48 and the electric motor 32 is electrically connected to thesource 40 of electrical potential through the cable 48 and the controlassembly 42. When the upper button 44 is depressed and held depressed,the motor 32 is operated in one direction and when the upper button 44is released and the lower button 46 is depressed the motor is operatedin the opposite direction.

The tray bottom wall 49 to which the upper ends of the corner legs 16are secured has an elongated upstanding housing 50 secured therethroughand the housing 50 is provided with a vertical threaded through bore-52in alignment with the upwardly projecting rotary output shaft 54 of themotor 32. An upstanding screw shaft 56 is threaded through the bore 52in the housing 50 and has its lower end connected to and driven from theoutput shaft 54. Inasmuch as the screw shaft 56 is threaded through thethreaded bore 52 alternately reversed operation of the motor 32 willcause the shaft 56 to be threaded upwardly and downwardly through thehousing 50.

The side of the tray 20 remote from the control assembly 42 is providedwith a rack structure 58 from which various hand tools 60, 62 and 64 areremovably supported and one of the legs 16 includes an outwardlyprojecting horizontal pin 66 upon which a roll of tape 68 may besupported. Also, a shield 70 is supported from the same corner leg 16above the pin 66 in order to shield the roll of tape 68.

The same corner leg 16 supporting the pin 66 supports a spring clamp 72by which an electric hand drill 74 is removably supported from the stand10 and the hand drill 74 includes an extension cord 76 wound on a springreel 78 electrically connected to the source 40 through the junction box38 by a cable 80. Still further, one of the other corner legs 16includes a support pin 82 upon which a roll 84 of solder is removablysupported.

The upper portion of the housing 50 has one end 84 of an extendable armassembly 86 supported therefrom and the other end of the extendable armassembly 86 removably supports an adjustable light assembly 88 having anextension cord 90 which may also be electrically connected to the source40.

An upright tubular support 92 has its lower end secured to the bottomwall 49 of the tray 20 by welding as at 94. The tubular support isinternally threaded as at 96 and has the lower end of an upstandingextension rod 98 threaded therein. The extension rod 98 projects abovethe upper end of the tubular support 92 and has a nut 100 threadedlyengaged therewith and abutted with the upper end of the tubular support92. In addition, a jam nut 102 is also threaded on the rod 98 above thenut 100.

A tubular slide 104 is slidingly disposed on the tubular support 92below the nuts 100 and 102 and an intermediate portion of the slide 104includes a laterally outwardly projecting brace 106 whose outer end issecured to a similar but shorter upstanding tubular slide 108 slidinglydisposed on the screw shaft 56 above the housing 50. The side of theslide 108 remote from the brace 106 includes a horizontally outwardlyprojecting support arm 110 and a nut 112 is threaded on the screw shaft56 below the slide 108 and above the housing 50. Also, a thrust bearingand a jam nut ll4 are threaded on the screw shaft 56 above the nut 112and the lower end ofthe slide 108 abuts against the thrust bearing andjam nut 114.

In operation, the stand may be supported from the floor 116 of abuilding structure including a ceiling 118 and the extension rod 98 maybe extended and secured in position by the nuts 100 and 102 with theupper end of the extension rod 98 abutted against the ceiling 118. Inthis manner, the stand 10 will be maintained in stationary position andbe supported against lateral tipping. Thereafter, a duct 120 to beerected adjacent the ceiling 118 may be supported from the support arm110 and the control assembly 42 may be actuated in order to operate themotor 32 in a manner to thread the screw shaft 56 through the housing 50to thereby raise or lower the support arm 110 to the proper elevation.When the motor 32 is operated the screw shaft 56 is threaded through thehousing and the clamp structure 28 slides up or down the guide rods 24as the screw shaft 56 is threaded upwardly or downwardly through thehousing 50. The nuts 112 and 114 rotate with the screw shaft 56 andtherefore are also raised and lowered with the latter in order that theslide 108 as well as the slide 104 and the support arm 110 will beraised and lowered with the shaft 56. Of course, inasmuch as the brace106 is secured between the slides 104 and 108, the slide 108 is heldagainst rotation with the screw shaft 56 and therefore is shiftedupwardly and downwardly in response to the screw shaft 56 being threadedupwardly and downwardly through the housing 50. After the duct section120 has been properly positioned, the light 88 may be positioned asdesired and any of the tools supported from the stand l0 (including anyhand tools or the like which may be supported within the tray 20) may beutilized in installing the duct 120.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An overhead support for use between vertically spaced downwardly andupwardly facing upper and lower surfaces, respectively, said supportincluding an upright stand, the lower end of said stand being adaptedfor support from said lower surface, the upper end of said standincluding upwardly extendable abutment means for engagement with saidupper surface, a generally horizontal laterally outwardly projectingsupport arm carried by the upper portion of said stand and supportedfrom the latter for guided vertical shifting relative thereto, andpositioning means connected between said support arm and stand operativeto adjustably vertically shift said support arm relative to said stand,including extending guide means, a follower assembly guidingly engagedwith said guide means for adjustable shifting therealong, saidpositioning means including a reversible electric motor supported fromsaid follower assembly and an upstanding screw shaft driven by saidmotor and threaded through an upper portion of said stand, an upstandingsleeve carried by said support arm through which said screw shaft isslidably and rotatably received, and a thrust bearing member mounted onsaid screw shaft for adjustable positioning therealong and rotationtherewith, said thrust bearing member being disposed below said sleeve,the lower end of the sleeve resting upon and being supported from saidthrust bearing member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upright stand includes astationary tray supported from the upper end of said stand for receivinghand tools.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the upper end portion of saidstand includes a horizontally extendable light support.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upper portion of said standcomprises an upstanding internally threaded sleeve through which saidscrew shaft is threaded.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said internally threaded sleeveincludes a horizontally outwardly extendable light support.

6. The combination of claim 1 including stationary upright tubular bodymeans supported from an upper portion of said stand, said abutment meanscomprising an upstanding screw shaft having its lower end downwardlythreaded into the upper end of said tubular body means, an abutmentthreaded on said screw shaft and abutted against the upper end of saidtubular body.

7. The combination of claim 6 including a sleeve body slidinglytelescoped over said stationary upright tubular body means below saidabutment means horizontally registered with and spaced from saidupstanding sleeve, and brace means rigidly secured between said sleevebody and said upstanding sleeve.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the lower end portion of saidstand is provided with spaced support wheel means for rollinglysupporting said stand from a horizontal support surface.

1. An overhead support for use between vertically spaced downwardly andupwardly facing upper and lower surfaces, respectively, said supportincluding an upright stand, the lower end of said stand being adaptedfor support from said lower surface, the upper end of said standincluding upwardly extendable abutment means for engagement with saidupPer surface, a generally horizontal laterally outwardly projectingsupport arm carried by the upper portion of said stand and supportedfrom the latter for guided vertical shifting relative thereto, andpositioning means connected between said support arm and stand operativeto adjustably vertically shift said support arm relative to said stand,including extending guide means, a follower assembly guidingly engagedwith said guide means for adjustable shifting therealong, saidpositioning means including a reversible electric motor supported fromsaid follower assembly and an upstanding screw shaft driven by saidmotor and threaded through an upper portion of said stand, an upstandingsleeve carried by said support arm through which said screw shaft isslidably and rotatably received, and a thrust bearing member mounted onsaid screw shaft for adjustable positioning therealong and rotationtherewith, said thrust bearing member being disposed below said sleeve,the lower end of the sleeve resting upon and being supported from saidthrust bearing member.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein saidupright stand includes a stationary tray supported from the upper end ofsaid stand for receiving hand tools.
 3. The combination of claim 1wherein the upper end portion of said stand includes a horizontallyextendable light support.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein saidupper portion of said stand comprises an upstanding internally threadedsleeve through which said screw shaft is threaded.
 5. The combination ofclaim 4 wherein said internally threaded sleeve includes a horizontallyoutwardly extendable light support.
 6. The combination of claim 1including stationary upright tubular body means supported from an upperportion of said stand, said abutment means comprising an upstandingscrew shaft having its lower end downwardly threaded into the upper endof said tubular body means, an abutment threaded on said screw shaft andabutted against the upper end of said tubular body.
 7. The combinationof claim 6 including a sleeve body slidingly telescoped over saidstationary upright tubular body means below said abutment meanshorizontally registered with and spaced from said upstanding sleeve, andbrace means rigidly secured between said sleeve body and said upstandingsleeve.
 8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the lower end portion ofsaid stand is provided with spaced support wheel means for rollinglysupporting said stand from a horizontal support surface.